Manufacture of shoes



. P 7, 1935. H, B. GORMAN MANUFACTURE OF SHOES Filed June 1, 1955 Patented Sept. 17, 1935 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFHQE MANUFACTURE 0F SHOES Application June 1, 1933, Serial No. 673,873

'7 Claims.

This invention relates to insoles and to methods of making shoes in which the insoles may be employed.

In the manufacture of womens light shoes, it is 5 highly desirable to provide as great flexibility in the bottom of the forepart of the shoe as is consistent with durability. Objects of this invention are to provide an improved insoleand an im proved method which may be practiced with the aid of such insole by which a shoe may be produced having the desired flexibility.

In one of its aspects my invention comprises an improved insole which, as illustramd herein, consists of two layers of material temporarily and separably attached to each other, the inner layer being suitable for permanent attachment of the upper thereto by cement and the outer layer having a lip suitable for temporary attachment of the upper thereto by metallic fastenings such as staples.

In another aspect the invention comprises a method of lasting shoes which consists in providing an insole having separable inner and outer layers, the outer layer being upturned to form a lip spaced from the edge of the inner layer, lasting a cemented upper over the exposed margin of the inner layer and against the upstanding lip, securing the upstanding portion of the upper to the lip by means of fastenings inserted through the upper and lip, and, after the cement has set, cutting through the upper at the base of the lip below the fastenings and removing the outer layer of the insole along with the fastenings and the portion of the upper secured to the lip. Preferably, and as illustrated herein, these fastenings consist of staples the legs of which are clenched on the back or inner surface of the lip.

The shoe may be completed by permanently cement-attaching an outsole to the overlasted portion of the upper while the shoe is on the last or by removing the last and sewing through the inner layer of the insole, the upper and the outsole.

In the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the outer side of an insole embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a shoe in lasted condition and illustrating the step of trimming the upper;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the forepart of the shoe shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse section of the completed shoe showing the outsole attached by cement.

In carrying out the present method of making shoes having flexible foreparts, an insole, as illustrated in Fig. 1, is first provided which consists of a layer It which may be of leather or other suitable material which preferably is quite thin and flexible, though it should be sufficiently firm to maintain the lines of the shoe and to avoid buckling during the lasting operation. Temporarily attached, for example by rubber cement, to the outer face of the layer ill is an outer layer E2 the side margins of which are upturned to form lips or ribs l4 extending from the heel breast line to the tip line of the shoe. If desired, the layer 52 and lips Hi may extend to the toe end of the shoe, as illustrated in Fig. 2, and, if desired, the layer I2 and lips it may extend only from the ball line to the tip line or from the ball line to the toe of the shoe. The layer l2 may be of any suitable material such as canvas, leather, leatherboard or fiberboard, the requirement being that the ribs M be sufiiciently firm and rigid to maintain the upper temporarily in lasted position. If desired or if the materal of the layer i2 is such as to require it, the ribs M may be slit as at [6 (Fig. 1) to facilitate the bending of the insole to the longitudinal contour of the last bottom. An insole prepared as described is attached to the bottom of a last It by tacks 2B in the usual manner, and an upper 22 is assembled and pulled over upon the last. A suitable cement, such as latex or compounds thereof, is next introduced between the layers of the upper materials and is applied to the feather portion 25 of the layer IE), and the upper is worked over the feather portion 26 and against the rib M, a metallic fastening such as a staple 26 being driven through each lasted portion and the rib i l to hold the upper in lasted position while the cement is setting. The cementing and lasting operations referred to may, and preferably are, carried out in accordance with the method disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,932,545, granted October 31, 1933, in the name of George Goddu.

After the cement has set, the upper is cut through, for example by a hand knife 28, at the base of the lip and below the staples substantially at the line of juncture between the layer iii and the layer i2, and the layer 92 is then torn off from the layer ill and removed from the shoe along with the staples 26 and the trimmed portion of the upper.

In case the ribs It do not extend rearwardly of the ball line of the insole, the shank and heel portion of the insole may be reinforced with fiber or other suitable material and the upper lasted thereto at the shank portion by means of tacks or curved staples, as disclosed in the Goddu patent referred to above. If the ribs l4 do not extend forwardly of the tip line, the toe portion of the shoe may be lasted with cement on the bed lasting machine in the manner disclosed in the Goddu patent above mentioned.

If the shoe is made over a last the bottom of the forepart of which has considerable transverse curvature, no filler need be applied before attaching the outsole, though, in order to prevent squeaking, it is usual to insert a thin layer of fabric between the insole and the outsole in the region where they would otherwise come in contact. Preferably, the overlasted margin of the upper is roughened and coated with pyroxylin cement and an outsole 38 has the margin of its attaching face similarly treated, the cement being activated and the shoe and sole placed under pressure to eifect permanent attachment of the shoe and sole. A cross-section of the shoe completed in this manner is illustrated in Fig. 4.

If desired, of course, the last may be removed and a line of through-and-through stitches, pref erably lockstitches, may be sewn through the margin of the insole, the upper and the outsole, the latter being channeled to receive the stitches if desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in providing an insole having an inner and an outer layer, the outer layer being provided with an upstanding lip spaced inwardly from the edge of the inner layer, providing cement between the opposed surfaces of the lasting allowance of the upper materials and on the marginal portion of the inner layer, working the upper over the marginal portion of the inner layer and against the upstanding lip of the outer layer of the insole, inserting staples through the upper and lip of the insole to hold the upper in lasted position until the cement has set and thereafter cutting through the upper along the line of juncture between the outer face of the lip and the marginal portion of the insole, removing the outer layer of the insole along with the staples and the trimmed portion of the upper attached thereto, and permanently cementing an outsole to the overlasted margin of the upper.

2. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in providing an insole having separable inner and outer layers, the outer layer being provided with an upstanding lip spaced inwardly from the edge of the inner layer, providing cement between the opposed surfaces of the lasting allowance of the upper materials and on the marginal portion of the inner layer, working the upper over the marginal portion of the inner layer and against the upstanding lip of the outer layer of the insole, inserting fastenings through the upper and lip of the insole to hold the upper temporarily in lasted position, allowing the cement to set and then cutting through the upper at the base of the lip, removing the outer layer of the insole along with the fastenings and the trimmed portion of the upper attached thereto, and securing an outsole to the shoe in contact with the overlasted margin of the upper.

3. That improvement in methods of lasting shoes which consists in providing an insole having separable inner and outer layers, the outer layer being provided with an upstanding lip spaced inwardly from the edge of the inner layer, providing cement between the opposed surfaces of the lasting allowance of the upper materials and on the exposed marginal portion of the inner layer, working the upper over the marginal portion of the inner layer and against the upstanding lip of the outer layer of the insole, inserting staples through the upper and lip of the insole to hold the upper in lasted position until the cement has set and thereafter cutting through the upper between the staples and the base of the lip, and removing the outer layer of the insole along with the staples and the trimmed portion of the upper attached thereto.

4. That improvement in methods of lasting shoes which consists in providing an insole having inner and outer layers which are readily separable from each other, the outer layer being provided with an upstanding lip spaced inwardly from the edge of the inner layer, working the upper over the marginal portion of the inner layer and against the upstanding lip of the outer layer of the insole, securing the upper materials to the marginal portion of the inner layer with cement, and inserting fastenings through the upper and lip of the insole to hold the upper in lasted position until the cement has set, thereafter cutting through the upper along the line of juncture between the outer face of the lip and the marginal portion of the insole, and removing the outer layer of the insole along with the fastenings and the trimmed portion of the upper attached thereto.

5. An insole for shoes comprising an inner layer of thin flexible material of a shape and size to cover the bottom of a last, and a relatively stiff outer layer removably secured to the inner layer and having an upstanding lip formed thereon by turning, up its marginal portion, said lip being sufiiciently spaced inwardly from the edge of the inner layer to permit cement lasting of an upper to said inner layer.

6. An insole for shoes comprising an inner layer of thin flexible material of a shape and a size to cover the bottom of a last, and an outer layer of fiberboard covering the major portion of the inner layer and removably secured thereto by cement, said outer layer being provided with an upstanding lip spaced inwardly from the edge of the inner layer a distance sufiicient to permit the overlasted margin of the upper to be secured thereto by cement.

7. An insole for shoes comprising an inner layer of a shape and size to cover the bottom of a last, and an outer layer of fiberboard covering the major portion of the inner layer and removably secured thereto by cement, said outer layer being formed with an integral upstanding lip spaced inwardly from the edge of the inner layer, said outer layer being omitted at the toe and heel.

HENRY B. GORMAN. 

